The End.

I'm writing this post from back home in London. My travels have come to an end - at least for now. I ended on a high note: I really enjoyed New York. I've been to the USA many times, but almost always to LA, where I have family. But I'm not a huge fan of LA, so it was good to see a side of America that is more 'me'.

So this is my final post. I feel that I should probably end with something inspiring or poetic but I can't think of anything so maybe I'll just

New York, New York (Da, Da, Da Da Da)

Just a quick update...

I'm in NY now, having spent a day in each of Boston and Washington DC. Both were cool. Boston was freezing (we caught the tail end of a storm), but it was amazing how architechturally (is that a word?) similar it was to England. We went to a comody show in the evening in an area that seemed almost identical to Covent Garden in London. The thing I liked most about DC was that there are no high rise buildings - no buildings are allowed to be talled than the Lincoln Memorial (or something like that) so it's got a really open and airy feel. The White House, however, was a huge disappointment. It looks much bigger on TV - in real life it seems tiny. We had to ask somebody if we were actually looking at the White House, we were in so much disbelief. Listening to other tyourists, we weren't alone. Oh well. I left quite quickly after noticing one of the snipers on the roof fixing his binoculars in my direction. It's not the best place to be a Persian...

I'm loving New York. Can't be bothered with the touristy stuff, but just bee chilling, taking in the atmosphere and meeting up with friends here. I love this city - definitely more than LA, which is the only other US city I've spent much time in - although I'm not sure whether I could live here. So I'll be home on Monday, less than a week! Looking forward to it, although I'm also having a good time here. I guess this'll be me second to last post!

Goin' East-side

Only in LA: a man on a skateboard, being walked by his dog. with a three foot parrot perched on his other shoulder. Not much to report from here, except that my sudden exposure to lots over kosher meat after 8 months' vegetarianism, and to home cooked Persian feasts, has resulted in a bit of a belly, for the first time in my (adult) life. This was helped along by every relative I saw telling me I'd lost weight and trying to remedy the situation.

Can't believe that the only thing I have to talk about is my weight. I've obviously been around Californians for too long. I'm waiting now to take a flight to Boston - I'm joining my cousin, and her dad, to see some universities and help her choose. We're going to Boston, Washington DC and New York, and then I'm staying on for a week after they return to LA. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the E Coast, although I'm gonna have to get some warm clothes!

OK, weight and clothes - this must be my most boring post yet. I'll leave you with the big news: I've finally booked my ticket home. I'll be arriving in London on the morning of the 30th April; 9 months to the day after I left.

California Dreaming

Once again - sorry it's been so long since my last post. The main reason is that most of that time has been spent in LA, which to be honest isn't quite as exciting as Cambodia or most of the other places I've been!

Back to Cambodia... after the temples at Angkor, I went to stay with Catrina in Sen Monorom, a sleepy jungle village in eastern Cambodia. On the way, the bus was struggling on the dusty, unsurfaced mountain roads in the jungle. It finally gave up, so we abandoned ship. After a while of sitting on the road, in the middle of nowhere with no phone reception, the driver decided it would be a good idea to try and start the bus with the passengers pushing it. Uphill. I think it went further backwards than forwards. We sat around playing cards in the middle of the road (no cars coming so didn't matter!), and the Cambodians were really generous with sharing food with the tourists - genuinely generous in a way I never see in England or any Western countries. Eventually a car came passed and a couple of the locals hitched a ride. They said they'd also take any foreigners... as long as they would stay in a certain guest house (for commission)! As night fell we were eventually saved by some pick up trucks, and I was perching on the back corner as we sped over bumps, fearing the next bump could be my last!

Sen Monorom itself was nice, a chilled town with great scenery. We went with some local guys to some waterfalls, and also to a 15 year old's birthday (quite a formal affair, with adults too) - it was good to do what the locals do, and also to catch up with Cat.

Went back to Pnomh Penh by luxury minibus, instead of the dodgy 'jungle bus'. The minibus broke down. Of course.

Overall, I really enjoyed Cambodia, I wish I had more time there and of all the places I've been it's the one that I'd like to go back to, to explore some more. An epic, almost 24 hour trip later, I got to LA (it doesn't look that far on the map, but apparently the Pacific is pretty big). It's been good seeing my family who live here, and also all the family who happen to be visiting from England for my cousin's Batmitzvah and Passover. It was all a bit overwhelming at first, but I'm getting used to it. Also had to get used to driving again, as I'm somehow the official family chauffeur in the rental car. Not doing badly - only 3 bumps and 2 near death experiences. The Batmitzvah was good fun, and we're staying in a pretty nice hotel for Passover. My days are mostly taken up with eating and seeing family, with some shopping in between. The most exiting event of yesterday was not being able to get back to the hotel because Sunset Boulevard (a major road) was totally closed for President Bush to drive through. Rather than wait in the car for an hour, I went for a drive. At one point I heard rumbling, and looked in the mirror for a motorbike. I couldn't see one, but as the rumbling got louder and the car started literally vibrating, I looked up to see 4 low-flying helicopter gunships. Later, on the motorway (sorry, freeway) I saw his heavily guarded motorcade going the other way.

In about a week, I'll be leaving LA, perhaps for Nashville (where I have family), then New York. I'm not taking to long over it - I'm ready to go home soon - so I'll probably be back by the beginning of May. The big news is that I'm going back into teaching. And by lucky coincidence, there's a space for a maths teacher opening at my old school from May, so I'll have a job there at least till the summer.

It's weird being so close to going home...